It is National Invasive Species Awareness Week 2015. Somehow the memo that came to my neck of the woods didn’t highlight the “AWARENESS” keyword in the promotional name. As a result, it seems the invasive species around here thought it was an invitation to move in and celebrate…like Mardi Gras. HARUMMPH!!!! Early in the week […] We love hearing from you! […]

Invasives and Nuance I’ve had a long and complicated relationship with Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum), and we finally broke up for good this year. The opening photo shows C. perfoliatum’s cousin, Compass Plant (Silphium laciniatum). It’s Invasive Species Awareness Week, so I thought maybe it’s a good time to be open about my experience of […] We love heari […]

Do spiders hibernate in winter? Do spiders come inside your house in winter? Where do spiders go in winter? These are questions I’m frequently asked by our readers and also from audiences at conferences and workshops as I travel to speak about Ecosystem Gardening around the country. So lets take a look at how spiders […] We love hearing from you! Please clic […]

Beautiful patterns, holes in tree bark, looking like a sort of Morse Code, is not the work of Martians leaving us a message, or wood boring insects. These holes are the work of a brightly colored, medium sized woodpecker, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Sphyrapicus varius. The photo, above, is a cluster of holes (called sapwells) that I discovered less […] We […]

I think it’s safe to say that those of us who do not live in Florida are sick and tired of shoveling snow this winter. I for one am dreaming of Spring in a big way! So I was looking through some of my photos from years gone by and thought I would share […] We love hearing from you! Please click here to see all the beautiful photos and let us know what you […]

The long President’s Day weekend, 2015 found me camping at a favorite spot in Southern California’s Santa Monica Mountains, Leo Carrillo State Beach. This campground at the far north end of Malibu includes its own private beach, a pristine cove on the Pacific Ocean. To the east of CA’s Route 1 (known also as the […] We love hearing from you! Please click he […]

It’s a brisk day here in Central Florida with record lows hovering around the freezing mark. The birds are in full flurry, tanking up on the various berries and fruits that are available for winter dining in my native plant garden. I was pleased to see the Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) are back house hunting […] We love hearing from you! Please click he […]

What do desert birds need? Same as every living thing on earth needs, food, water and a place to live. So after you put in a bird bath for the drinking water what can you do to attract birds to the garden? Bird feeders are one easy answer, but you often see a number of […] We love hearing from you! Please click here to see all the beautiful photos and let us […]

As I looked up to the sky, the vultures were flying overhead in full force. I suspect the remains of some dropped prey may have been in the 3-acre lot across the street. Vultures in my neighborhood are a routine affair. I live within a mile (as the crow flies) of a wildlife management area […] We love hearing from you! Please click here to see all the beau […]

Loret T. Setters

#GardenChat

Talking Pumpkins?!

I would rather sit on a pumpkin

and have it all to myself,

than be crowded on a velvet cushion.

~Henry David Thoreau

Our heirloom pumpkin harvest is still a few weeks off. Though the vines are starting to die back a bit and the leaves beginning to show some signs of powder mildew from the cool, rainy days, the stems are still very green and new blossoms are still being produced… albeit few and far between. This is the perfect time, about three weeks before the harvest, for a fun fall pumpkin project.

We grow four varieties of pumpkins and winter squash each year and every bit of the sweet flesh is steamed, pureed and stored for using all winter (we love winter squash), but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a bit of fun with them first. Shallow etching of words and pictures into the shells of the squash before they are harvested results in a very cool design that slowly appears as the “wound” heals over. It’s easy, fun and a unique way to show off your harvest!

What You Need:

Pumpkins large enough to etch, still attached to the vine and about three weeks shy of harvest time.

A carving tool. We use the point of an old corkscrew. Anything with a fine, sharp point works well, including a small drill bit.

A pen or marker to draw the design. (optional)

A rag or sponge.

What You Do:

Using the tip of your chosen tool, trace a shallow imprint of your design into the shell of the pumpkin.

Retrace the design, pressing harder to etch the shell to a depth no more than 1/4″. The designs can be as simple or complex as you’d like.

A vegetable peeler tip is perfect to remove any bits of colored shell left.

When you are finished, soak a rag/sponge with chamomile tea and wipe the shell. (Chamomile has anti-bacterial properties which will help protect the etched areas.)

Do not use bleach or soap…especially if you plan to eat the squash later.

That’s it! Watch the pumpkins carefully the first few days and continue to wipe them down until the etched areas have begun to heal over. It’s a lot of fun to see the design become more pronounced as time passes…and the look on friends’ faces when they see your ‘talking pumpkins’ is priceless! Happy gardening!